Summary Of Los Angeles Notebook

Valley.  It is "where the hot wind blows and the old ways do not seem relevant,

Didion personifies the wind as almost an unknown epidemic. Similar to when an unknown disease goes viral, all walks of life are affected. Didion clearly states how teachers, students, doctors, to physicists, to generally everyone becomes unhappy and uncomfortable during the winds. She does not write of how the wind caused fire to ravage the shrublands, but she writes of the symptoms it inflicts on the people. Didion mentions all the after effects of the wind and the harm it can do like inflict paranoia. She mentions how the fear-stricken victims of southern California are paranoid like her neighbor that refuses to leave the house and her husband who roams with a machete. Didion’s personification of the wind focuses on a fearful and distant light.

“Where Worlds Collide” is an essay by Pico Iyer who talks about the expectations and reality of Los Angeles through the perspectives of travelers from different backgrounds. In “Where Worlds Collide,” Pico Iyer argues that even though Los Angeles is depicted as a vicinity to receive wealth, happiness, and many opportunities- it is actually the antithesis, and instead, many harsh prejudice and unending craziness will occur instead; Iyer argues this by using allusions, anaphoras, and juxtapositions to help convey what he is saying.

With the use of emotion, Didion is able to describe the horrifying causes the Santa Ana has on human behavior through murders and horrible wind conditions. “On the first day

Throughout life, one is faced with many experiences, and how one deals with those experience shapes one’s life. Laurie Channer’s Las Mantillas and Margaret Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers share the same theme of action versus inaction, however they define it from opposing perspectives. Action and inaction are complete opposites thus leading to completely different results. Whether taking action or remaining passive, strong feelings occur that can impact one’s life. Distance is also a huge factor in whether a person takes action or not, which is explored in both texts. While Channer’s Las Mantillas emphasizes the positive impact taking action has on an individual and society and Atwood’s It is Dangerous to Read Newspapers critiques the effects of inactivity, both agree that when faced with injustice it is vital to take action for one’s beliefs.

The author’s frightening story, “The Storm” has all the expected things that a good scary story should have. It has a story line that gains suspense throughout the story, there is irony, and there is lots of

Valley.  It is "where the hot wind blows and the old ways do not seem relevant,

Los Angeles possesses the characteristics of great fame and fortune as well as immense homelessness and poverty. Often times, young people are misled by the financial success of some and assume that is typical of city people. Writers Joan Didion and Carol Muske-Dukes characterize the realization that an adolescent’s lifestyle is not suitable for the demands of a city as signaling the dawn of the apocalypse. In the essay, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” Didion highlights how the failure of society is brought about by a family’s inability to fulfill traditional roles and a lack of education as exemplified during the Hippie movement. While poet Muske-Dukes utilizes gothic language and allusion to illustrate the notion of an apocalypse in the poem “Like This”.

While today Los Angeles is prided on being one of the most diverse cities in the United States, there was (and still is) a tremendous amount of resistance that had to be overcome. Society’s inclination to maintain homogeneity along with the testing of loyalties and allegiance through pressures of war have proven great obstacles in the evolution of what is now a majority-minority city. Nina Revoyr’s Southland gives a historic fictional recount of Los Angeles’ most tested times from perspectives looking in to the past, present, and future. The discovery of unpleasant truths through grave social injustices provide a painful reminder of Los Angeles’ history and consequently a warning for future setbacks. Southland is an emotional testament to the inescapability of discrimination within stratified cities and the unspoken necessity of assimilation that occurs as a result.

At the moment of its waking Sacramento lost…its character…” (Didion 173). In other words, Didion is pointing out how Sacramento is becoming more immoral as urbanization and industrialization occur. However, what is most interesting is how Didion expresses Sacramento’s loss of character through her own experiences. For instance, Didion describes her wonderful memories basking in the Californian sun, rivers, fields and valleys as a child, showcasing the real natural Sacramento. However, later on as a n adult when she returns to Sacramento, Didion finds that the Sacramento she has been seeking is no longer there, as a result of industrial development:

The introductory and concluding paragraphs of Joan Didion’s essays provides context for its entirety. She opens her first essay declaring “This is a story about love and death in the golden land, and it begins with the country” (3). In reality, this sums up every single essay within the collection. A majority of the texts deal with the theme of love such as “John Wayne: A Love Song” and “Marrying Absurd” (29, 79). Additionally, many of the texts deal with the theme of death, such as “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream” and “On Morality” (3, 157). But, every single essay deals with the theme of environment. Didion describes Los Angeles as both an alien place and haunted. This statement is ironic after readers complete the text, due to her eventual

In the passage, the wind is described as an annoying and violent force which works against the people, and especially Lutie, showing her discomforting and annoyed attitude in her new place. As described by the narrator, the wind “rattled tops of garbage cans, sucked window shades...and it drove most people of the street [due to] ...it’s violent assault”. In addition to creating dangerous walkways,

Have you ever felt isolated? In the short story “The Lamp at Noon” by Sinclair Ross, Ellen and Paul is a marriage couple with unnamed baby lives on a small house on a farm far away from civilization. Paul ones a small farm where he plants his crops. They struggle to survive from the storm. The storm ruined Paul’s farm and causes depression for both of them. The storm is so strong that a lamp must be lit at noon. The characters are torn apart because of the storm and their inability to deal with the harsh environment. This story portrays the wind reflecting the characters actions, emotions and isolation.

When describing the winds, Didion paints a somber and gloomy picture. “There is something uneasy in the Los Angeles air… some unnatural stillness, some tension,” starts the article off with the image of Los Angeles people in a sense of stillness or tense. Didion continues by explaining that the uneasiness is because the Santa Ana winds have arrived. Through the pictures that Didion paints, the reader begins to see the Santa Ana winds as an uncomfortable atmosphere. She then adds, “Blowing up sandstorms out along Route 66… we will see smoke back in the canyons, and hear sirens in the night,” further proving the uneasiness that comes with the somber image of Los Angeles. “The baby frets. The maid sulks,” she adds, painting the distressing image of the effect that the Santa Ana has on people. Didion, in trying to show the craziness associated with the Santa Ana

No storm is experienced the same. Seeing a storm on the horizon has the power to stir up gripping memories, introspective thoughts, and convoluted emotions. The poem “Storm Warnings”, by Adrienne Rich, applies a predictable structure paired with flowing syntax, and ambiguous diction- speaking both of weather and emotions- to illustrate that one cannot avoid the tribulations of life, embodied as the approaching storm, but instead prepare for their arrival.